The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1887-09-07
INDIFFERENCE FOR LIFE.

Every week seems to add its horror to
the list. The burning of the Theatre
Royal, London, Monday night, is the
latest. 1t is surprising how feeting is
the sensation of horror these frightful
events occasion. The whole civilized
world is to-day shocked over the dis
heartening occurrence, and before an
other Sabbath Day shall have passed
this occurrence will have vanished for
ever from the memory of the great mass
of humanity now discussing it. Hor-
rible and disheartening as are such dis
asters-if we ought to give so harmless
q title to an occurrence which sug-
gests so much of criminal negligence,
or indifference - they have little
more effect upon the body of the
world than do the chills which
momentarily affect the physical man
and which are lost to the memory when
they are past. We seldom discern
premonitions in such things, and yet it
is not unfreQuently the case that they
are prophetic forerunners.
How much Ne slight in life that
should occasion grave concernl Note
the number of fearful railroad acct
dents of recent date, and the appalling
loss of human life resulting, and then
consider the recollection of mankind
on these events and see what
steps have been taken to pre-
vent their recurrence. How many
railroad companies have rear
ranged the heating apparatus
for cars so that the horrible history
of last winter by the use of stoves and
furnaces may not be repeated during
the approaching winter? Despite the
terrible loss of life !or many years past
caused by fires in theatres, how many
theatres are there in which precautions
have been taken to prevent like cat
astrophes?
A human life, according both to the
law of God and OF man, is worth
human life. 1t will be difficult to draw
the line between murder, pure and
simple. and death because of indiffer-
ence or neglect. There are times when
man is powerless to prevent acct
dents; but we doubt if these
begin to equal the number
where reasonable care would have
proved eficacious. We who es-
cape, who are shocked for the time
being, are too much swallowed up in |
self TO give prolonged thought to the
miseries and misfortunes of others;
and for that reason we take no steps
toward holding fully responsible those
to whose neglect the loss of life directly
or indirectly is traeesble. Gould only
the conviction be forced upon US that
our lives, or the lives of those we hold
dear, depended upon the degree of
responsibility We placed on public
servants whose indifference or neglect
might result in fearful casualties, there
would hedge about railroad officials,
theatrical managers, steamboat en-
ployes, so stringent q code oflaws that
man would be practically harrassed to
an early grave guarding his trust. So
much we think of self; SO little We care
for miseries that do not affect us. And
yet, if all be chance, as the tendency of
the age is to proclaim, why not we be
among the next victims? Self preserva-
zion, self interest, demand that greater
responsibility be attached to those
through whom a loss of life may occur.
And we will venture the declaration
that when men feel that their own lives
depend upon the safeguards they hedge
about the lives entrusted to them, we
will read of fewer railroad, steamboat
and theatre catsstrophes.